Cup-holder

ABSTRACT

A cup-holder, preferably for integration into the center console of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing and a tray held therein which can slide in and out of the housing for accommodating at least one container, such as a cup or a bottle. The housing and tray are arranged so that the tray can be swiveled from an extended, horizontal in-use position to an approximately vertical non-use position by overcoming a resistance.

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2003/010862, filed Oct. 1, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Priority is claimed based on German Patent Application No. 102 48 358.2, filed Oct. 17, 2002.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cup-holder for integration into a console of a vehicle.

Such cup-holders are used, among other locations, in the front region of a motor vehicle, where they are preferably integrated into the center console. In the in-use position, the tray projects into the passenger area at a distance from the floor.

Upon entering and leaving the vehicle, but especially when changing positions within the rear area, the extended tray represents an obstacle which in many cases is not noticed, so that impacts can result in damage to the entire cup-holder, in particular the tray.

Because the cup-holder is located at a relatively low level, it is frequently overlooked when the tray is in the extended position, which, as has been demonstrated, increasingly results in the described damages. The forces exerted on the extended tray, for example upon entering the vehicle, are so great that the tray is completely broken out of the housing, so that repairs are practically impossible and the entire cup-holder must be replaced.

This danger is present in particular when children are transported in the back seat of the motor vehicle, since experience has shown that children are rather inattentive in their impulsive movements.

Furthermore, when the tray is pulled out, the known cup-holders may represent a safety risk if a body part of a passenger strikes the tray in a collision or during sudden braking. This may sometimes result in serious injuries, in particular head injuries.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to further refine a cup-holder of the generic type so that the risk of injury is reduced while at the same the cup-holder is substantially protected from damage that impairs its functioning.

This object is achieved by a cup-holder, in which the tray can be swiveled from an extended, horizontal in-use position to an approximately vertical non-use position by overcoming a resistance.

On the one hand, this design of the cup-holder ensures that in normal operation the tray maintains its functionality, i.e., when in a horizontal position it can accommodate containers such as cups or bottles. The opposing resistance is so great that the tray retains its position, even when load is exerted by the containers.

Only when the resistance is overcome, in particular by an impact directed from above, is the tray swiveled downward from its horizontally locked position, thereby simultaneously eliminating the force of impact.

Thus, in contrast to the cup-holders used heretofore, both the tray and the guide site on the housing side are lowered in a controlled, damage-free manner. On the other hand, this affords the possibility of swiveling the tray from this non-use position back to a horizontal in-use position.

Naturally, an otherwise necessary replacement, or if even possible at all, repair, of the cup-holder may be avoided in this manner, thus resulting in cost savings.

A further significant advantage of the novel cup-holder is that the projecting tray essentially no longer represents a risk upon striking a body part susceptible to injury, since it gives way when the resistance, which is to be appropriately dimensioned, is overcome.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the oppositely situated side walls of the housing and the tray have a mutually corresponding guide means, preferably in the form of a sliding track countersunk in the respective side wall, in which a sliding peg on the tray is guided. The tray is additionally connected to the side wall of the housing via a linked pivot lever, so that an appropriate shaping of the sliding track results in a swiveling of the tray out of the housing into an in-use position in which the tray continuously maintains its horizontal position.

Such a sliding track operates more smoothly compared to guide tracks commonly used heretofore, since lower frictional forces are exerted.

The resistance to be overcome during forceful, abrupt swiveling may be achieved by a barrier which must be overcome by the tray or parts thereof at the same time these are swiveled down.

Such a barrier may be formed, for example, by a step in the transition of the sliding track to a secondary sliding track, the base of the latter being elevated with respect to the base of the former, whereby in the normal position the sliding peg travels along the barrier, and is guided beyond the barrier and into the secondary sliding track only if there is an impact to the tray. For overcoming the barrier, the side wall of the housing is correspondingly deformed outward by the force of impact, which is easily possible since the cup-holder is made of plastic, which has the necessary elasticity.

It is further provided that in each side wall of the housing a toothed track is furnished which runs corresponding to the pivot radius of the pivot lever, and is enmeshed by a small toothed gear that is rotatably mounted on the pivot lever. This ensures a synchronous sequence of motion when the tray slides in and out, thus preventing tilting, which could occur in particular when the tray is intended to hold multiple containers and therefore has a corresponding length.

Below each opening in the tray, which is used as a receptacle for a container, a base part is provided which supports the inserted container.

This base part is pivotably attached to the tray and is functionally connected thereto in such a way that in the non-use position, i.e., retracted into the housing, the base part is swiveled up and projects partially into the opening in the tray, thereby occupying a very small space.

In addition, because of the pivotability the base part is able to correspondingly move when the extended tray abruptly drops, whereby when the tray returns to an in-use position, the base part is likewise swiveled back to an in-use position by spring loading.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cup-holder according to an embodiment of the invention in a perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the cup-holder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a section through the cup-holder according to the line II-II in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures illustrate a cup-holder, preferably for integration into the center console of a motor vehicle, comprising a housing 1 in which an extendable and retractable tray 2 is held. When it is pushed in, the tray 2 is in the non-use position, and when it is extended corresponding to FIG. 1, it is in the in-use position.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, two openings 5 are provided in the tray 2, each for accommodating a container, such as a cup or bottle, for example.

As can be seen particularly clearly in FIG. 2, each side wall 3 has an arch-shaped sliding track 6 having an upwardly directed convex curvature.

A sliding peg 10 for the tray 2 is guided in the sliding track 6, and may also be actuated by a touch mechanism, whereby when briefly touched it automatically travels from the non-use position into an in-use position under the action of a constant-force spring.

Furthermore, the tray 2 is pivotably connected via a pivot lever 11, which is joined by means of a rotational axis 12 to the tray 2, to the side wall 3, for which purpose the pivot lever 11 is connected via a pivot axis 14 to the side wall 3.

The course of the curved track 6 and the pivot radius of the pivot lever 11 ensures an extending motion of the tray 2 from the housing 1, in which the tray 2 always occupies a horizontal position.

To achieve a precisely uniform motion of the tray 2, i.e., to prevent the tray from tilting when sliding in and out, in each side part 3 a toothed track 9 is provided which is enmeshed by a small toothed gear 13, rotatably connected to the pivot lever 11, when the tray 2 slides in and out. The shapes of the toothed tracks 9 for both side walls 3, as well as the number of teeth and the tooth pitch, are identical.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 it can be seen that on the underside of the tray 2 a base part 4 is provided at a certain distance which supports a container (not shown) inserted into the openings 5.

This base part 4 can be swiveled, in the direction of the arrow, on one side against the force of a spring in the direction of the tray 2, from an in-use position to a non-use position, the swiveling into an in-use position being limited by a stop. The base part 4 is locked in this position as a result of the spring pressure on one side and the stop on the other side. When the tray 2 is pushed into the housing 1, however, the base part 4 runs past a stationary tab 15 on the housing side and swivels up into the region of the tray 2 or the openings 5 thereof.

In addition, the movability of the base part 4 enables the tray 2 to freely swivel into a position shown in dashed-dotted lines in FIG. 2. In this position the tray 2 is swiveled down when a resistance is overcome, when a force acts abruptly on the tray 2 in the extended position, preferably in the vicinity of the front edge.

The rotational axis 12 thus forms the hinge point about which the tray 2 swivels, during which the sliding peg 10 situated in the back region overcomes a barrier 8 which represents the resistance.

After the barrier 8 is overcome, the sliding peg 10 is guided in a secondary sliding track 7, the end limit of which forms a stop for the swiveled end position of the tray 2.

The secondary sliding track 7 extends from the front end region of the curved track 6 and curves upward, the base of the secondary sliding track being elevated with respect to the base of the sliding track 6. The step which results forms the barrier 8.

In normal operation, i.e., when the tray 2 is retracted and extended, the sliding peg 10 is also guided in the region of the barrier 8 in the sliding track 6, i.e., the sliding peg 10 in this case projects in the direction of the base of the sliding track 6, slightly beyond the barrier 8. The resistance to be overcome is a function of the ratio of the length of the sliding peg to the distance from the barrier to the connection of the sliding peg on the tray.

The sliding peg 10 does not cross over the barrier 8 unless there is an impact on the tray 2, and then rests on the base of the sliding track 7 with simultaneous slight deformation of the side wall 3. The resistance to be overcome is a function of the ratio of the length of the sliding peg to the distance between the barrier (8) and the connection of the sliding peg on the tray.

FIG. 3 shows that the base of the secondary sliding track 7 in the swivel direction of the sliding peg 10 is designed essentially in the shape of an oblique plane which, starting at the barrier 8, slopes toward the end limit. This ensures that the sliding peg 10 makes strong frictional contact only in the region directly adjoining the barrier 8, with deformation of the side wall 3.

After the tray 2 swivels as the result of an impact, it can be easily swiveled from the approximately vertical non-use position back to an in-use position, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, and in the in-use position, the sliding peg 10 springs back into the sliding track 6.

The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 

1. Cup-holder for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing and a tray held therein, the tray being slideable in and out of the housing for accommodating at least one container, wherein the tray can be swiveled from an extended, horizontal in-use position to an approximately vertical non-use position by overcoming a resistance.
 2. Cup-holder according to claim 1, wherein the resistance is formed by a barrier which is overcome by the tray when an abrupt force acts thereon.
 3. Cup-holder according to claim 2, wherein the barrier is overcome with elastic deformation of side walls of the housing.
 4. Cup-holder according to claim 1, wherein each side wall of the housing, a sliding track is provided in which an associated sliding peg for the tray is guided, the sliding track being formed as an arch with a convex side facing approximately upward.
 5. Cup-holder according to claim 1, wherein the tray is linked to first end of a pivot lever that is associated with each side wall, and a second of the pivot lever is rotatably connected to the side wall.
 6. Cup-holder according to claim 4, wherein a secondary sliding track extends in a front end region of the curved sliding track, running at an angle forms a guide track when the tray is swiveled into an approximately vertical non-use position.
 8. Cup-holder according to claim 6, wherein an end limit of the secondary sliding track forms an end stop for the sliding peg.
 9. Cup-holder according to one of claim 6, wherein the barrier in the front end region between the sliding track and the secondary sliding track is formed as a step, the sliding peg slightly projecting away from a center of the housing beyond the base surface of the secondary sliding track into the sliding track when the tray is in the in-use position.
 10. Cup-holder according to claim 4, wherein the resistance is a function of the ratio of the length of the sliding peg to the distance between the barrier and the connection of the sliding peg to the tray.
 11. Cup-holder according to claim 6, wherein the base surface of the secondary sliding track is an oblique plane which, starting at the barrier, slopes toward the end limit.
 12. Cup-holder according to claim 4, wherein each side wall an arch-shaped toothed track is provided which meshes with a toothed gear that is rotatably connected to the pivot lever.
 13. Cup-holder according to claim 12, wherein the teeth of the toothed
 12. Cup-holder according to claim 4, wherein each side wall an arch-shaped toothed track is provided which meshes with a toothed gear that is rotatably connected to the pivot lever.
 13. Cup-holder according to claim 12, wherein the teeth of the toothed tracks in each side wall are identical in number, size, and pitch.
 14. Cup-holder according to claim 1, wherein the tray has a base part on an underside of the tray for supporting an insertable container, wherein the base part is pivotably connected to the tray, and in the lowered non-use position of the tray is swiveled into same.
 15. Cup-holder according to claim 14, wherein the base part is swivelable on at least one side from an in-use position to a non-use position.
 16. Cup-holder according to claim 15, wherein the swiveling occurs against the force of a spring.
 17. Cup-holder according to claim 16, wherein the spring-loaded swiveling of the base part into an in-use position is limited by a stop.
 18. Cup-holder according to claim 14, wherein when the tray is retracted into the housing the base part is swiveled in by running past a stationary tab on a housing side. 